The science of histopathology and cytopathology is going towards more and more objectivity day by day. The recent increase in newer tools like automated microscopes, digital cameras, etc. are giving rise to the need for more sophisticated diagnosis and analysis software tools. Reading and analysis of histological, cytological and immunohistochemical specimens on glass slides in the anatomic pathology laboratory is the most challenging task. This is also the need of time as clinicians and oncologists are expecting a high level of precision, objectivity, reproducibility and standardization in the pathological results from the pathologists.
While pathologists are required to look at glass slides with these pathological/biological specimens, often they tend to look at images of glass slides. For any queries, concerns, or doubts, they require verification with a microscopic view of the actual glass slides. Herein lies a challenge to correlate data between the glass slide and digital images of the glass slides. In order to assist pathologists in their analyses for the purpose of detecting, counting, and classifying tissues or cells of clinical interest, a sophisticated SmartGlassSlide is designed which will enable pathologists to deliver more consistent, more precise analyses of a slide's contents than would be possible through a manual analysis of either glass slides though standard light microscope or digital image of the same glass slide.
The present invention provides a novel way of storing digital data of the pathological/biological specimen, whether said data is an image, clinical, patient, experiment, biomarker, treatment, diagnostics, therapy, or contextual data saved in USB storage provided on the same glass slide which has the pathological/biological specimen adjacent to it.
The pathologist thus can put the same glass slide under a microscope to read optically or connect to a computer through USB to read digitally. This establishes 100% correlation between the optical and digital data, ensuring lower errors and thus improved accuracy of analysis for the betterment of health care.
The present invention will thus be a digital transformation of age old glass slides without losing benefits of having access to actual pathological/biological specimens along with digital information side by side.